


The Little Stark

by MoonWitch96



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drabble, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Fantasy, Father-Daughter Relationship, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Growing Up, Science, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2018-12-25 10:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12033813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonWitch96/pseuds/MoonWitch96
Summary: Drabble Series. A curious little mermaid made the mistake of annoying a Sea Witch and a man who was made of nothing but mistakes saved her. Together they make an unlikely family and show that the world really was changing into something unlikely. Will eventually go through the events of all the Avenger movies. Please Read and Review.





	1. Chapter 1

Ariel hadn't wanted this.

She had been curious( _she was always curious, she couldn't help it, she felt like she learned nothing no matter how much her tutors tried to teach her, no matter how many how many questions she asked_ ). She was constantly escaping from the Golden City's palace- to explore, to forget the fact that she was the seventh daughter of King Triton. She and Flounder went to whichever coral reefs or kelp forests were near at the time, to the edge of the surface to almost feel the sun, to sunken ships if they were near, to the outer confines of the Golden City with grit and dirt in her hair so no one would know who she was.

That day she had been wondering and interested to see if the Sea Witch Ursula was really as scary and horrible as her father said. So she had snuck away the second her governess had been distracted by the actions of her older sisters. Flounder had followed her, her fellow friend, however, had not been happy with her choice of adventure for the day. But nonetheless, here she found herself, trying desperately to get away from the laughing and magic wielding Witch.

But, she was only a guppy, and the Witch's powers were too great.


	2. Chapter 2

Ursula was an impatient and if anything,  _a very busy woman_. She didn't have all day to deal with snooping brats that wanted to see the big bad Witch, she had spells to cast, people to convince, things to plot. Today, of all days, she had expected many people of the newly arrived Golden City to appear, now that it was near her again for the first time in nearly fifty years. To come make deals and if they were too idiotic to give her her due, become a part of her beautiful garden. However, what she got that day instead, was a ridiculous child, wide-eyed and nauseatingly innocent babe. Stalking her, mocking her, coming to speak to the big bad Sea Witch.

She was tired of being the laughing stock of Atlantica. Of being reduced from a once powerful member of the Court of Triton to a sideshow freak for the brats of the merpeople.

So she decided to punish the brat, but something stopped her from adding the little red-head to her garden. Somehow, it didn't seem fit. She needed to set an example. The pretty little child with the big eyes was just perfect for that. So, she made a plan to drown her. She would later drop her human corpse into the streets of Atlantica, sending a message to the fish folk to stay clear away from her unless they wanted something from her, instead of coming to mock her. That she was still powerful, full of magic that even the great King Triton could not take that from her.

But she hadn't even thought, for a second, that the girl hadn't come alone. When the tiny little fish that came out of nowhere went underneath one of her arms and began to drag her upwards and out of sight.

She frowned. Her example was gone, but not exactly worth the effort to go after. She had no way of contacting anyone of import- how could she if she had the liberty to wander into her domain? Ursula supposed being doomed to walk about the rabble of the land was punishment enough to some pretty little nobody.


	3. Chapter 3

Ariel couldn't  _breathe._

She felt like her chest was going to burst. She moved, frantic, struggling as she pumped her legs and worked furiously with Flounder, who was dragging her. Up, up, and up. She didn't understand what, she needed, but that it was something she couldn't get. She hurt all over, her tail-  _her tail_  ached like a pulse, rapid and deep. And now she had two- she couldn't remember what they were called. The limbs that humans had.

She had _those._

She needed something that wasn't water. She couldn't understand it, but she was reaching, reaching, pumping clumsily things forward in desperate need as Flounder tugged her upwards.

She needed...

She needed to reach the surface.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony Stark watched the waves tumble and turn against the rocks with interest, a grin stretching onto his face. A sense of sincere pleasure coiled in the stomach, a change from the usual euphoric high he seemed to be constantly chasing because  _this was his_. Not a remnant of his father's legacy or his family name's legacy, but rather something that was solely _his._  Built from his mind and nature in an awesome combination. Modern, sleek, not a hint of old prestige, but rather all his. The salty sea air rushed across his face, a nice a pleasant thing and he mentally patted himself on the back for snapping up the lot for this place months ago before anyone else could grab it- especially after he had built it perfectly, his perfect pad, a stark( _ha pun_ ) difference from the mansion he had sort of grown up in( _did it count as growing up if he was constantly shipped off to school?_ ), not a huge Victorian monster with stuffy rooms filled bitter and hurtful memories of a neglecting father and a sweet mother gone too soon.

He had discovered this strange grotto on the land and had made sure to build an access room from his new set up basement lab.

It opened to the sea, the Pacific tumbling and turning in front of him with nothing but the clear sky stretching out into the horizon. The thirty-year-old was more than happy with the result of the builders. He knew for damn sure that this was perfect surfing kick off point. Taking off his shoes and not really giving a flip about his expensive pants that Obi insisted he wear on a semi-regular basis, he slowly waded into the water, the cool and slight sting of the salt-water quickly drenching him as he tested the waters.  _It was awesome_. He grinned again.

But his grin dropped when he caught sight of a small blip of red fighting against the waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Marvel nor the Little Mermaid, they do, however, belong to the all mighty Disney,
> 
> And enter the Marvel. See, it is a crossover!


	5. Chapter 5

Tony had done a lot of stupid things in his life.

It was something someone expected from the only child of Howard Stark- he had to be a wild child because his  _father_ had been one. He could be a real ass too, he could admit that without any real remorse.  _Because despite what most people thought, Tony knew exactly who and what he was, and knew all of his faults inside and out- he just didn't do much about it because fuck it, he was so angry and so damn bored most of the time to do anything about it._ But he wasn't a bad guy, really, and without a real thought, he found himself struggling desperately to reach the figure barely staying afloat in the water. He wasn't sure if going guns blazing to save a random child(or possible little person) was the smartest thing he should do.

But he sure as hell knew it was the right thing to do.


	6. Chapter 6

It felt as if it took him forever to reach the figure in the water, and when he pulled the small body up and trying to prevent its head from going under, Tony felt something akin to panic enter him. It was a small girl, gasping loud and screaming to high heaven the second she got her breath.

_FUCKING HELL._

"Shit! Kid, I got you!" he tried to soothe, eyes wide as he started for the shore. The girl struggled against him for half a second, before she went clutched to him with a strong grip that surprised him.

She clung to him, like some sort of monkey, tight and fierce and trembling so hard that it felt as if it could shake his own frame. He had never known that someone so small could cling as hard as this. Large eyes, blue, frighted and utterly frighted locked on him and the girl gasped wildly, crying, whimpering little sounds escaping her throat as she looked up at him with startled relief. And he also hadn't known that the fact that someone counted on him to keep them safe could feel so amazing.

_Or terrifying._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: I do not own either The Little Mermaid or the Avengers characters. All rights go to their respected publishers, producers, and film companies.
> 
> *Gasp, she's speaking Atlantican instead of being mute!

Tony made sure to keep the little girl's startlingly red head above the water. He made swung her around, moving her to straddle his back like he was some sort of surfboard. Her little hands gripped tightly at his hair, tightly, and he winced but forced himself to focus instead on moving as fast as he could. He pumped his arms and legs furiously towards the closest patch of land, surprised that he had managed to get so far away from the little grotto beneath his house.

He reached the shore, huffing and puffing like a freight train and he swung the little girl into his arms. He was not surprised to see the various beachgoers gaping at him as he clutched the small girl to his chest. When he gently laid the girl on a towel offered by a concerned redheaded woman that had nothing on the girl's literally scarlet locks, he stepped back to allow the girl some space. He was very surprised to notice then that she was butt naked. He took a beach skirt from the tall redhead woman, tying it around the slight girl firmly, taking in her large blue eyes that stared around her with both a curious blankness and sort of horror.

"Is she alright?" asked the other redhead, hovering slightly and look at him with wide gray eyes.

"I think so. Just a little shell-shocked," he said carefully, still slightly out of breath and what he thinks is a lot of adrenaline. His hands are shaking and Tony feels his heart is trying to leap out of his chest.

The girl was just staring at them, eyes wide and blinking rapidly, her little chest heaving as she gripped the skirt's cotton material tightly to her. The young woman firmly, but gently moved him aside, and kneeled in front of the little girl.

"Honey are you okay? Where are your parents?" asked the woman calmly, gently, her slender hands reaching for the girl.

The girl stared at her, tilting her head to the side. Her red brows furrowed, and her little nose wrinkled.

" _Excuse me_?*" said the girl and her voice while slightly hoarse, was incredibly soft and pretty... And speaking in a language that Tony had no idea what it was.

The young woman stared, and so did he.

"Well, shit," said Tony, helpfully, he thought.

He had a lot of foreign languages under his belt, from Swiz to Japanese, but whatever the hell the girl was speaking wasn't one of them. He turned to the tall, very leggy redhead with a frown.

"You speak gibberish?"

The younger woman simply looked over with a deadpanned stare, lifting a finely arched brow and turned back to the little girl.

Tony himself only sighed.


	8. Chapter 8

"Holy shit is that Tony Stark?!" screamed out a surfer, and Tony rolled his eyes.

He was tempted to yell back 'where' but held back for the sake of the traumatized girl in front of him. Priorities. He had them. The girl looked around quickly, her eyes darting from side to side like a caged animal, her blinking quickly. She curled up into herself, bringing her legs up to her chest. The girl trembled from head to toe, her back ramrod straight.

"Hey Kid, come on, can you at least tell us your name?" he asked the girl, frowning when the girl scowled back.

_Spitfire._

" _I don't know what your saying_ ," responded the girl, softly, but with a faint hint of irritation lacing her musical tone.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"My name is Tony Stark. Your's?" he asked, gesturing to himself, and then to her.

The girl tilted her head to the side again. She studied him for a second, brows furrowed, and he repeated his name, pointing to his chest before he pointed to her.

" _Ariel,_ " she said it slowly, dragging out the sounds in a very musical way. It rolled over him, high sweet and something about the way she spoke sent a slight shiver down his spine.

She pointed to herself, and then repeated the name. He didn't hear a surname and frowned.

"Where are your parents?" he asked.

The girl only stared at him.

"Mr. Stark, this girl can't understand you," said the older redhead, frowning. Tony rolled his eyes back.

"I was kinda hoping if I spoke enough English she would magically learn it."

The young woman only rolled her eyes, and Tony started when he felt a slightly cool hand touch his elbow. The little redhead looked up at him with a frown on her face( _does she only frown?_ ) and urgently tugged on his still dripping sleeve. She pointed to the sea.

" _I have to go home,_ " she said.

Tony only stared.

"What?"

She repeated the sentence, and when it was obvious that he didn't understand her, the girl stood up. She wobbled for a second, before she steadied herself, and repeated the phrase once again, firmly. When he looked at her blankly, the little girl, probably no more than seven or eight, gave him a disappointed look that made him feel vaguely guilty before she took off at a run.

Straight back to the water.


	9. Chapter 9

"Fuck!" he screamed, scrambling after the child.

He didn't really need to worry about her reaching the coming waves though since the girl fell flat on her face before she even made it ten feet. She tried to stand again, but she her weirdly long legs seemed unable to support her. They wobbled as she pushed herself up with her elbows, and then collapsed under her completely. She simply fell in the sand, spraying the dry stuff everywhere, as curious onlookers watched her. Ariel, the little girl, stared at the ground in front of her. Then, the girl gave out a cry of frustration, utterly devastated, and tried to stand again. Only to collapse again.

Tony came up to her slowly, hands out, touching gently on the girl's shoulders with both hands. She jumped and looked at him with those large eyes. They were devastatingly blue, and his reminded of the ocean on perfect days. Those eyes filled with tears.

He lowered himself to the ground, hands on her shoulders.

He damn eyes looked back, and he felt himself almost groan at the completely heart broken look on the girl's face.

" _I have to go home,_ " she said again, softly, a whisper so quiet that he struggled to hear it.

"I'm sorry Kid, I can't understand you. But no going into the water."

It was obvious that when she made to stand again, that she was going to head for the water. Tony simply held her shoulder down and ignored her struggles.

" _Let me go_!" she exclaimed.

Again, Tony ignored her struggles yet again and scooped her up into his arms. The girl pushed, kicked and bit at his arms. Tony winced.

"DOES ANYONE KNOW THIS LITTLE GIRL!" He shouted out.

No one answered him, eyes of the beach on him, eyes wide, curious, voyeurs. The redhead that had given the girl some decency came running up, a large tout now on her arm.

She gave him a grim look, before making motions to hold the girl, holding up her silm arms. Tony simply shook his head. Kind or not(not to mention smoking), he was not giving the girl to anyone other than her parents. She frowned, but backed off, and handed him a fluffy blanket seemingly from nowhere.

"I'll help you find her parents," said the redhead firmly, ignoring his look of disbelief.

Tony nodded, warily, and wrapped up the girl. With the strange, tall redhead by his side and the struggling little redhead in his arms, he set out to find the parentals.


	10. Chapter 10

Ariel stared mournfully into the distance where she could see Flounder looking back at her, peaking up from behind a cluster of rocks.

She struggled against the human man's hold in an attempt to get back to her friend, and somehow get home and get her father to reverse the spell on her. The human, Tony Stark(odd name), wouldn't let her go. She felt hot, sticky tears leak down her face, and she helplessly watched as her best friend in the all of the seven seas got smaller and smaller, almost out of sight as the humans carried her off.

"Tell my Father what happened!" she screamed out, and she saw her little friend, just a guppy like herself, nod before he disappeared into the waves.

She felt herself sag into the arms of Tony Stark.

She felt nothing but a sense of emptiness. She had never known that one of her adventures could ever lead to this level of disaster. She sincerely hoped that Flounder swam as if a shark was on his tale.


	11. Chapter 11

It turned out that the beach held no answers in what Tony should do with the girl in his arms.

He, along with the redhead, and a couple helpful lifeguards with megaphones, couldn't find the girl's parents. They combed the beach, asked questions. Heck, one of the lifeguards checked with a buddy they had on the marina, to see if anyone matching the girl's very distinct features and red hair had been seen. No dice, though the angle from the marina was promising and still open. It was obvious from where Tony had found the girl, naked, in the middle of the ocean and nearly drowning that something was very wrong. Not to mention the fact that she was speaking in a language that they didn't recognize, let alone speak.

The girl, Ariel, meanwhile, did not say a single word, even when spoken to. She did, however, looked around her, eyes wide mouth slightly open. Her grip on his drying collar firm and strong, and she trembled in against him, tucked under his chin.  _Yeah, this suit is completely ruined._ It wasn't until the sun started to set that he knew that whoever the girl's parents were, they were not anywhere at the beach. Or at least, not anymore.

"We have to call the authorities," said a lifeguard, looking on with pity to the girl.

Tony looked at the big eyes, that suddenly looked up at him, and had to agree.

"I wonder where you belong, kid," he muttered.

The girl herself only looked to the sea.


	12. Chapter 12

A Police Station was not really a place Tony Stark frequented.

Country to popular belief, he was  _very_ careful of the type of trouble he found himself in. He, after all, owned a multi-billion dollar business, international and so forth. Him being a wild child was one thing, being a law-breaker was another thing entirely. He had women trouble, party-boy trouble, hang-over trouble... It was never, even in his drunkest moments, involving anything against the law, or really too stupid (he usually had Rhodey and Happy to bail him out in that case)... Mostly. But, he at least never really had done anything serious. With the kid, Ariel just sitting in his arms as he told his story to the concerned police officer, he knew that this was one of the most serious type of trouble he had ever been in so far.

The leggy redhead next to him seemed inclined to agree, straightforward in her account on what had happened, and not even batting an eyelash as she helped him not appear as if he had kidnapped a child off the beach. He wondered what her name was, and internally found the fact that she was so cool and collected in a crisis. Not an ice queen, but considerate to both him and the kid. The fact that she took in his bullshit babbling was impressive. But not nearly as impressive to her ability to neither respond to his halfhearted flirting with anything more serious than a slight downwards turn to her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in the process of editing this story. Original version is posted on FFN:  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9979473/1/The-Little-Stark


End file.
